Extra! Extra! This Week’s Interesting Marketing Stories!

February 17th, 2012 by Jim Thebeau Categories: Branding, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tags: advertising, email marketing, henry russell bruce, hrb, research

How to Lose Customers – Quickly

Did you know national surveys indicate that “feeling neglected or unappreciated” is the #1 reason businesses lose customers?

This seems like an easy statistic to change, but it’s not. Most entrepreneurs and many businesses are simply too overworked and overwhelmed with day-to-day duties to think about customer appreciation and client retention strategies.

Industry surveys indicate that customer satisfaction is tied directly to employee satisfaction. One way to keep ahead of the customer satisfaction issue is to survey both your employees and your customers regularly – at least once a year. Learn what makes them happy or unhappy, and you’ll get meaningful information on your products and services, as well as your customer service. Customer and employee satisfaction surveys are an integral part of guiding a company, its products or services into the future. Understanding what steps to take to improve attitudes and perceptions is key to keeping a healthy company. Have you thought about asking about the health of your brand? This goes beyond questions such as “Was the sales staff courteous?” Evaluating your brand will give you insight into your reputation, awareness level, company vision and the momentum of your brand.

Would it Pay for Your Firm to Advertise on Facebook or LinkedIn?

Starting to create a Facebook ad.

How do you determine if that’s a viable strategy? HRB is introducing a new service to help clients determine the viability of advertising on Facebook or LinkedIn. To maximize the value of social media, consideration should be given to your targeted audience that can be reached by advertising on Facebook and LinkedIn. HRB researches audience segments on the sites to determine whether the effort would be viable for reaching the right audience.

HRB performs an analysis of targeted paid advertising on both Facebook and LinkedIn and deliver a forecast of expected results and costs. The benefit is understanding the potential of paid social marketing efforts specific to your market. Upon completion of the analysis, the deliverable to the client is a written report outlining the findings and recommendations. The analysis is performed by Stephanie West, our Director of Internet Operations, who is a Certified Social Media Associate.

Businesses are Missing Email to Social Collaboration

Extend your email marketing beyond your email list.

According to The State of Email Marketing in SMBs, based on a study by GetResponse, most small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) have mastered the basics of organic email list-building, making use of Web-based sign-up forms and even offering incentives to encourage subscriptions, but fewer than half use any type of email-to-social collaboration, limiting the potential of cross-channel marketing.

The report notes that the weak implementation of social media integrations, especially given the buzz it creates in the context of email marketing. Only 50% of the researched marketers use any type of email-to-social collaboration. This means that, even if their brand is present on various social networks, cross-channel marketing is practically non-existent.

Communication mapping can help you figure out this complex system and make sure you are not missing out on an opportunity. Mastering the use of multiple mediums and the integration of cross-channel marketing, which is essential to successful message delivery to target audiences in today’s complex communications environment is strategically important for any business or organization.

If any of these topics are issues you are addressing at your business or organization, contact HRB for a free consultation.

Jim Thebeau
Partner/CEO
800-728-2656 ext. 121

Follow me on Twitter @JimThebeau

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jimthebeau

4890Post A Comment2012-02-17+18%3A11%3A22Jim+Thebeau

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Unexpected Advertising

January 30th, 2012 by Jill Mast Categories: Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tags: advertising, Marketing, Public Relations

While watching TV last night, a commercial for JC Penney caught my attention. Even more importantly, its message and execution created enough intrigue that, being curious, I dutifully followed their instructions, went to my computer and pulled up their Facebook page. (Not an easy accomplishment for most advertisers.)

So what was different about this commercial? For starters, I found it very entertaining. The images of shoppers screaming in frustration as they are bombarded with oodles of coupons and signage announcing a dizzying array of deals and offers was something I could certainly relate to. Perhaps more significant was that it was totally unexpected from a retailer like JCP. Their advertising has usually been very expected promotions of its latest and greatest door busters, early bird specials, scratch off coupons, and limited time offers.

Guess what though? It didn’t tell me everything I wanted to know but it did have me intrigued … so when directed to the company’s Facebook page, I went. There I learned that “on 2.1.12 the madness ends. But until then, enjoy our biggest and best-ever crazy and exhausting and totally confusing sale ever.” The Facebook page is interactive and asks consumers to join the “JCP Insanity.” What really surprised me was that it has more than 2 million likes, 15,000+ people talking about this and more than 100,000 visits to the page.

From a marketer’s perspective, I got an email from the American Advertising Federation this morning leading me to a New York Times article on JCP and their new branding strategies. I learned JCP has new management (executives formerly with Apple and Target) and their corporate strategy is changing to include a redesigned logo, simpler pricing of merchandise and stopping endless promotions, deals and sales. The new plan calls for only twelve sales each year. In 2011, JCP had 590 promotions!

Only time will tell if the new strategy is successful. But in my mind, they have already achieved their goal – getting consumers like me to rethink a tired, undifferentiated and unappealing brand and creating something compelling enough to get me interested (and to blog about) and even eager to see what they will be rolling out on Feb. 1.

Of course, the ultimate test will be if the new shopping experience is compelling enough to make me want to come back. Stay tuned.

Jill Mast
800-728-2656, ext. 120

Connect with me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jill-mast/4/928/a06

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4810View Comments [3]Unexpected+Advertising2012-01-30+18%3A08%3A16Jill+Mast

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New paradigm = New brand.

December 21st, 2011 by Steve Erickson Categories: Branding, Internet Marketing, Marketing, News, Public Relations, Social Media Marketing, Website Design Tags: Branding, henry russell bruce, hrb, steve erickson

It’s a well known yet seldom followed saying – “Practice what you preach.” But when we considered the prospect of rebranding HRB, we knew we had to follow ourselves the same advice we preach to our clients … that the most objective and ultimately most valuable branding efforts are done with the direction of an experienced outside advisor. You can’t read the label from inside the bottle, right?

After over 15 years with the same “label,” a logo we affectionately call “Herb” because its three letters also resemble a face, it felt like the time was right to go through our own rebranding effort. When Herb was first designed and put to work as the face of HRB, our company and the business of advertising was considerably different. Traditional media – TV, radio, print – was still king. The Internet was in its marketing infancy. The iPad, iPhone and Droid were only the distant dreams of Silicone Valley tech heads. Twitter and Facebook? Mark Zuckerberg was still playing video games in grade school.

It’s a vastly changed world now. Digitally-based, incredibly fast moving, with websites considered as the first point of brand contact instead of merely an afterthought … and handheld devices putting the power of brand engagement in the hands of millions of consumers.

To acknowledge those big changes in our industry, we decided to make a small but important change for ourselves. So we engaged the services of FUEL, a talented group of strategically-minded designers, to rethink and redesign our logo and visual brand. We vowed to be good clients and provide them with all the input they requested (which was a lengthy process), then ultimately, trust their thinking and their visual concept for our brand. Frankly, it was nice to be on the client side for once.

What you see here, the new logo, colors and look is a result of that collaboration. For us, it’s an important reminder of the new thinking we need to consider and then deliver every day. To our clients, it’s a reminder that brands aren’t static entities that can rest on their laurels. To Herb, it means a well-deserved retirement.

Wherever he is today, traveling the world or spending his pension at a casino in Branson, Herb can be confident our new logo stands for the same product we truly care about delivering … growing our clients’ brands to grow their business.

Steve Erickson
Partner/Creative Director
800-728-2656, ext. 126

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4588View Comments [8]New+paradigm+%3D+New+brand.2011-12-21+23%3A46%3A41Steve+Erickson

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Extra! Extra! This Week’s Interesting Marketing Stories!

October 3rd, 2011 by Jim Thebeau Categories: Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tags: henry russell bruce, hrb, Internet Marketing, jim thebeau, Social Media Marketing

A digest of interesting marketing stories.

Google AdWords for Video Goes Beta on YouTube

YouTube has launched its beta version Google AdWords for video. The goal of this new tool is to simplify online video ad campaigns and allow advertisers to use a dynamic, auction-based platform to place and manage ads on YouTube and the Google Display Network. The platform, built on top of AdWords technology, uses the same pipeline to serve ads. Is this something you can use for your business? Take a look at the video on YouTube produced to introduce this service, or read about AdWords for video.

Want Free Publicity? Sign Up With HARO.

If you like to get free editorial coverage for your business, there is a way to monitor requests from editors and reporters. It’s called HARO, or Help A Reporter Out. This service has been around for several years. Here’s how it works once you sign up. Several times a day, five days a week, you receive an email containing 20 to 40 links to descriptions of articles reporters are planning. The reporters are looking for expert content sources. Here are some examples.

How to sniff out bad financial advice (Major finance/lifestyle website) »
Category: Business and Finance
Even though Uncle Gary might be 100% sure that obscure energy stock will make you millions, you might feel skeptical. How do you sniff out bad financial advice or know that the advice is just a sales pitch? Need CFPs and CPAs to give some insight, as well as a person who may have been taken on bad stock advice. Please no product pitches. Please include a couple of pieces of advice as well as your qualifications. I will be in touch if I use them. TIA.

Do you have a story of self deception? (National Public Radio) »
Category: General
My colleagues and I from NPR’s science desk are looking to do a series about self-deception. Do you have any stories of self-deception? Do you know someone who has a good story and might be interested in looking closely at what was going on with them emotionally? If so please email us – and thanks so much for everything.

If you are a topic or content expert, or have one in your company, you can respond directly to the reporter. The topic areas include Biotech, Healthcare, Business and Finance, High Tech, Lifestyle and Fitness, Sports, Travel and more. To sign up, visit HARO and click on Become A Source. There are four participation levels, including FREE.

Twitter Ad Revenue of $135.5 Million Expected in 2011

Twitter is looking at a 210 percent increase in global ad revenue in 2011 over 2010. In its first full year of selling advertising (2010) revenues reached $45 million. According to a study by eMarketer, Twitter’s revenue projections for 2013 will reach $400 million. “Since their debut in April 2010, Twitter’s Promoted Products have proven successful in the U.S.,’ said eMarketer principal analyst Debra Aho Williamson.

Corporate America is on a Hiring Binge for Social Media Workers

One billion users on Facebook and Twitter make an appealing audience for many companies. Ragan’s HR Communication reports on an article in The Los Angeles Times, which finds that experts in marketing a company’s name and wares on social network sites are in big demand. The number of social media-related jobs on Monster has surged 75 percent over the last year. About 155 positions are available each month, up from an average of 88 per month a year ago. If you need help in this area, HRB has social media experts on staff who can get you started, integrate your social media with your traditional media, or help you take it to the next level.

Call us at 800-728-2656. Request ext. 121.

Jim Thebeau
Partner/CEO
800-728-2656 ext. 121

Follow me on Twitter @JimThebeau

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jimthebeau

3680View Comments [14]2011-10-03+17%3A45%3A50Jim+Thebeau

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Integrating Social Media into the Mix

May 2nd, 2011 by Stephanie West Categories: Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing Tags: advertising, advertising agency, henry russell bruce, Internet Marketing, Marketing, Social Media Marketing

You might understand traditional media like the back of your hand. But when it comes to new or “newer” media channels, you probably have a difficult time discerning where your time and money is best spent. In fact, the Web 2.0 terms and its growing number of channels will just keep coming before you can figure out what they are, let alone how to use them.

Integrating those new channels with traditional media into a cohesive campaign that reaches the right people at the right time – with the message you want to tell – that’s difficult.

And that’s where we come in.

The goal of using social media is to build a dialog and relationship with an interested audience. However, the added benefit is that, because of the elements of search engine optimization, using social media can also drive more traffic to your web site – relevant traffic.

Think of each person that clicks from a search term onto your page as a “prospect”. What do you want that prospect to do? If you want them to purchase something, you place the item for sale directly on the landing page. Ca-ching!

If you want to develop a prospect contact list, you might have them sign up for more information, a newsletter or a contact from a sales agent. Regardless, once you have a name of someone tied to the click, you can make them a part of your customer relationship management (CRM) strategies.

In other words, you can – and should – use Web 2.0 elements in order to gain traffic and ultimately acquire leads that you can then address with BOTH traditional and non-traditional marketing channels.

Examples of Channel Integration

Simple: A direct mail piece that directs the reader to a landing page of its web site.

More complex: A postcard printed with a QR (Quick Response) code that the reader can scan with their smartphone in order to go directly to the web landing page through the app on their phone. The web landing page contains more information and a link to sign up or buy. This method capitalizes on the technology to take the user directly to the end result they want – quickly – before they can change their mind or be distracted with other things.

Simple: Start a blog and repurpose your blog content into a periodic newsletter. Email your newsletter to your email database and post it on your web site.

More complex: Create an event, set up an event page on Facebook, link it to your corporate Facebook page, post it on your web site. Use Twitter to tweet about your event; embed another tweet with a tiny URL link to a signup page. Send postcard invitations with a QR code to the signup page.

Your company’s social media activity can also help build your brand credibility, retain website visitors and help with search engine rankings by providing engaging content that can be indexed regularly. Both Facebook and Twitter should be used to routinely communicate new information, products and offers, and to connect with people who are commenting about your company, positively or negatively. The beauty of social media is also that you can respond – quickly.

Social media must be seen and used as a fully-integrated partner to your traditional marketing efforts. As a result, there needs to be cooperation and coordination to be certain your brand “voice” is consistent, campaign efforts are properly timed and clear metrics are determined.

Start now!

I suggest you start incorporating Web 2.0 elements into your plan right now. After all, social media isn’t going away. According to the Nielsen Co. (2010), Americans spent 23% more time on social networking sites and blogs in 2010 than they did in 2009. The category has seen — and continues to see — exponential growth.

But that can be intimidating. What is most important is to have a plan that is manageable to maintain. Don’t promise a daily blog if that seems daunting; rather, a weekly blog and a tweet or two a day might be reasonable.

To learn more details about social media, download our free whitepaper or email me swest@hrb-ideas.com.

Stephanie West
Director of Interactive Services
800-728-2656, ext. 112

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/pub/stephanie-west/3/84b/738

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3545Post A CommentIntegrating+Social+Media+into+the+Mix2011-05-02+20%3A25%3A44Stephanie+West

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Social Media Strategies Should Be In Your Playbook

December 22nd, 2010 by Shelby Kraus Categories: Public Relations, Social Media Marketing

Living in Iowa, we take our university athletics very seriously, especially football. We do not have any professional teams. So, residents literally bleed black and gold for the Iowa Hawkeyes (and to be fair, red and gold for the Iowa Cyclones and purple and gold for the UNI Panthers). So when one of the best players for the Hawkeyes is arrested, everyone in the state takes notice.

Typically, the University of Iowa does not hold press conferences on these incidents. They release a statement and hope it all dies down quickly. This time was different. Admitting it during a press conference last week, UI staff conceded that this was probably the first time UI has ever held a press conference because the “noise” within social media was so loud and they needed to clear the air.

For those who think your business or organization can slip under the social media radar by not having a presence there, you are wrong. Social media is just like the press. “It” is going to get out there whether you want it to or not. And I’ve always told my clients, “it is better to get it out there first, the way you want to say it than it is to let others tell your story for you.”

Social media can be a wonderful tool for sharing your stories, things that would never make it on the news or in the news. Tell us about your toy drive, share tips on how to cut back on heating costs, tell us you’ve added new curriculum, etc. It is also a good tool to help manage a crisis.

The University of Iowa learned this the hard way and hopefully will be able to learn from this when they go back and watch the game reel.

Shelby Kraus
Vice President, Public Relations
Account Manager
800-728-2656, ext. 125

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3431View Comments [10]2010-12-22+20%3A54%3A23Shelby+Kraus

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Path is a Beautiful Web Service, But Will It Find Its Way?

November 19th, 2010 by Kurt Zenisek Categories: Internet Technology, Social Media Marketing Tags: henry russell bruce, hrb, kurt zenisek, Marketing, Public Relations, social media, Social Media Marketing

There’s a new Web service and iPhone® app called Path that’s been catching people’s attention. At its core, it’s very similar to other photo sharing services that you might have seen before, but with one key difference: they’ve decided to limit users to having 50 friends.

This seems counter intuitive at a glance, because the common goal of social media sites is to grow their user base to as large as possible and worry about monetization later. On Path, it’s up to you to determine who you want to have receiving your updates. In that same vein, it’s up to your friends to decide whether or not they want you to be a recipient of their updates. You can have up to 50 people that you send to and up to 50 people sending to you (these are separate lists so you can, in theory, interact with up to 100 different people).

They did put effort into making a nice looking app.

The artificial 50 friend cap and the accompanying media buzz about it has already generated a large amount of hype and controversy around this new service. I’m going to try to weed through most of that in an effort to understand what this means for those that actually decide to use Path.

I’m going to start by bringing up the obvious: other services don’t force anyone to friend/follow other people because they simply give you that option. People that find themselves overwhelmed with updates just need to take a look at their friends list and decide who they don’t want to continue following anymore in an effort to reduce the flood of messages that they couldn’t care less about.

Twitter® actually has functionality built-in to determine whether or not updates sent in reply to another person are included in your list of updates. You might have one friend that has 1,000 follows and another that has 10, but you’re still going to see their global updates. This makes it so that what you receive relies on their posting habit and not their number of followers. Facebook® acts in the same way. Users decide whose wall they want to write on or if they want to make a global status update for their friends to see. This option provides built-in functionality for determining what kind of updates you want to see in your list of updates.

So who might want to use this?

If you’re not pleased at how frequently particular friends are posting updates about stuff you couldn’t be bothered with; I’m sorry to say that Path is still going to make it possible for them to continue to do so. The real potential way for Path to survive is that public figures that use their Twitter and/or Facebook to speak to a larger audience can decide to separate their personal life from their public life by migrating their personal life over to Path. This is the primary reason why the “tech celebs” are generating hype around Path; they can now use the large user-base of Twitter and Facebook for publicity, and use Path for their real group of friends. Don’t think that this is special though, because this can be accomplished by using any second-tier social media service.

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People that don’t really have that need to separate the two groups (or only have one type of person they talk to online to begin with) won’t really see any point in trying to get their friends to sign up for yet another service when Twitter, Facebook, Flickr®, Instagram®, etc. give you the power to decide how many people you want to be a friend of or follow, and they also give you the functionality for reducing the amount of updates that don’t pertain to you or your interests.

Social media is not a matter of how many followers or posts someone has, but rather, it’s the content and quality of those posts that get people to actually read them. Path seems to have gotten publicity by adjusting something that’s going to leave many of their users nonplussed in the end, and it’s because of these factors that I’m not the only one seeing the “hook” to Path as pointless.

Kurt Zenisek
Lead Web Developer

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kzeni

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3134View Comments [8]2010-11-19+15%3A13%3A14Kurt+Zenisek

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Scribe and Pontiflex Make SEO Easy

November 16th, 2010 by Jim Thebeau Categories: Internet Marketing, Internet Technology, News, Social Media Marketing Tags: advertising, blogging, henry russell bruce, hrb, hrb newsletter, Internet Marketing, internet marketing firm, jim thebeau, Social Media Marketing

If you and your clients are interested in applying search engine optimization (SEO) to your blogging, user data and mobile communications efforts, then this blog is a must-read.

Not only have we been reading some interesting news about trends in blogging and blog optimization, but we’re learning how and why there will soon be a major shift in the way companies acquire user data and present their brand via mobile applications.

Technorati’s 2010 State of the Blogosphere Report Discusses New Trends in Blogging

The significant growth of mobile blogging is a key trend that Technorati® noticed and analyzed this year in its sixth annual blogosphere report. Taking a deeper dive into the behaviors of the entire blogosphere (with a focus on female bloggers), this year’s topics included: brands embracing social media, traditional media vs. social media, brands working with bloggers, monetization, smartphone and tablet usage, the importance of Twitter® and Facebook®, niche blogging and changes within the blogosphere over 2010.

Like to Make Your Blog Content More Searchable? Optimize it!

If you are not applying strong SEO techniques to the content of your blog, there’s an app for that—an online service, actually. It’s called Scribe®. Scribe analyzes your natural, reader-focused content and tells you how to gently tweak it to spoon feed search engines based on 15 SEO best practices. It actually provides you with a numerical percentage rating for your optimization and shows you how to improve your SEO results. You can select from a variety of subscription and feature options.

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Why There Will be a Shift From Buying Impressions to Acquiring User Data
Zephrin Lasker is the CEO and co-founder of Pontiflex®, a digital Cost Per Lead generation company. His company asserts that trends in media consumption and media buying have got to change to increase the effectiveness and growth of advertising efforts. Since this also improves SEO results and given there has been such a profound change in the way people consume media, it stands to reason that marketers need to recalibrate the approach they take to their branding campaigns.
In a recent article he wrote for MediaPost®, 4 Trends That Will Shape Q4, Year Beyond, he claims that, to date, branding campaigns have relied on broadcasting a message to a universe of anonymous people. Marketers have traditionally purchased impressions—on TV, radio or the Internet for their online banners. But that’s an approach that’s not relevant in a user-centric world. He makes some very good points here.
Mobile Apps are Growing Rapidly, But Good User Experience is a Must
Did you know that a new online study conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by EffectiveUI in October found that the majority of mobile phone users who download and use applications choose them based on good recommendations and user experience? That’s news to the companies and organizations who are releasing them. They’re assuming that people are downloading and using their applications based on their opinion of the brand name. So where is the disconnect happening?
According to Rebecca Flavin, CEO of EffectiveUI, “Mobile applications are the sure fire way to extend a brand. It’s time for organizations to understand how to fully leverage the mobile channel and optimize a user-center approach to drive adoption, as well as reinforce and drive brand loyalty.” Read this article from the Bulldog Reporter about why 40 percent of mobile app users are disappointed with the current apps from their favorite brands.
What are your thoughts about these studies? I’d love to hear your opinions in the comments section below.

Jim Thebeau
Partner/CEO
800-728-2656 ext. 121

Follow me on Twitter @JimThebeau

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jimthebeau

3066View Comments [8]Scribe+and+Pontiflex+Make+SEO+Easy2010-11-16+17%3A30%3A16Jim+Thebeau

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Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day Keeps Competitors at Bay

October 21st, 2010 by Megan Jasin Categories: HRB's Intern Blog, Social Media Marketing Tags: Branding, henry russell bruce, hrb, hrb newsletter, Internship, megan jasin, Social Media Marketing

One of my daily responsibilities as an HRB Intern is to manage our brand via social media. For me, it’s something that I generally enjoy and find interesting. Still, I struggle with planning and accounting for the time it takes to read, listen, post, respond and manage our online communities.

For the past four months I’ve been allotting about half an hour of time each day to handling my social media marketing responsibilities and another half hour to read my Google Reader® subscriptions and other online news. Is this enough? Some days, yes; other days, no. While being aware of time makes me more efficient, I’m worried that I’m not paying enough attention to HRB’s audience, that I’m spending too much time “socializing” without addressing their questions, concerns and suggestions.

Our Senior Strategist for our Growth Division, Dave Aeschliman, likes to remind me that the actions we take to promote our brand and our clients both online and in the real world should eventually translate into profits. He actually gave a speech on this idea titled “The Cancers of the Profit” that I often find myself thinking about when I write a blog or post a Twitter update. How can my social media actions drive business? Do they already? What can I do to be more efficient as an employee, intern and consultant? What should I be reading, following and learning to stay on top of social media and business trends?

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I think it’s important that anyone who manages an online community recognizes the value and power of building relationships that result in profits. If someone posts a comment on your Facebook page, how quickly are you responding to it? If it’s a negative customer service comment, have you set up a method for addressing it and taking the conversation offline? If you’re spending too much time posting updates and you’re not receiving any responses, what are you doing wrong? Step back and assess your situation every once in a while. Consult with your supervisor or someone outside of your department who might be able to offer you fresh ideas and strategies for reaching your company’s goals, promoting your services and ultimately driving business.

It’s easy to get distracted, lose track of time and forget about your true purpose as a social media marketer while you’re scoping out the latest trends online. Just be mindful of how much time and resources you’re investing in this task. Stay focused and be mindful of company resources.

For instance, we often remind clients that social media marketing is not free. Companies need to remember that the human capital needed to manage a smart social media presence can be quite cumbersome at times. What if it is taking the employee off of other initiatives? This is when we see businesses hiring companies such as HRB. So, if the work getting is too burdensome or you’re feeling overwhelmed, ask for help.

Your team members (internal and external) are there to help you learn and grow, and the combination of everyone’s ideas may even expose a new perspective that could skyrocket your brand to a whole new level.

Megan Jasin
Public Relations Intern

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meganjasin

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2622View Comments [15]2010-10-21+22%3A15%3A29Megan+Jasin

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5 Reasons Google Doesn't Like Your Website

September 24th, 2010 by Jeff McEachron Categories: Branding, Internet Marketing, Marketing, News, Social Media Marketing Tags: Branding, henry russell bruce, hrb, Internet Marketing, News & Press Releases

Unlike most companies during a recession, HRB is focusing on teaching rather than selling.

As evidence of this, I recently discussed the importance of Internet marketing with local business professionals at a seminar held at the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce.

The goal of the seminar was to help professionals grow their businesses by generating increased website traffic through improved search engine rankings, enhanced website content, business keywords and an inbound link strategy. I encouraged attendees to reconsider their methods for linking information to a website and the role that social media marketing plays in today’s economy.

Here are some testimonials straight from the mouths of the seminar attendees:

– “The Google® seminar was great! The approach he used to address a familiar topic was extremely helpful and I will definitely put to use his tips! The seminar was definitely worth the time over the lunch hours. I encourage others to check out these seminars.”

– “I was impressed that we received practical advice on what we could do right now to rectify any issues on our website. We walked out of the seminar with several to-do’s that were reasonable and attainable.”

– “I appreciated that it wasn’t a sales pitch. The speaker understood the audience and targeted his presentation to ways small businesses can be successful on their own.”

Not only did we have a great turnout, but we learned that many of our industry colleagues are seeking this kind of information. They are extremely enthusiastic about life-long learning and they’re even more excited to research the websites and resources we provide for free.

At HRB, we believe in giving our clients the tools they need to survive in today’s marketplace. For more information about how your company can become indispensable, contact us in our Cedar Rapids office (319.298.0242) or our Davenport office (563.322.0577). We’d be happy to meet with you and discuss the needs/goals of your company, clients and portfolio.

Jeff McEachron
Senior Vice President
Director, Internet Operations

Follow me on Twitter @Jeff_McEachron

Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmceachron

2392View Comments [8]2010-09-24+15%3A00%3A36Jeff+McEachron

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